Budget Travel's Blog

The latest travel news, vacation tips & advice, travel apps, and more

Archive: December 2009
dec 31

New York City: Discount tickets debut at Lincoln Center

The highbrow home of a dozen cultural mainstays is making big changes, including a new same-day discount ticket booth.
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1 by Alison Rohrs Art + Culture, New York City
dec 30

London: New Year's fun for free

The British abandon their inhibitions to party on New Year's Eve. Luckily, some of the best celebrations come without a price tag.
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1 by Alex Robinson Nightlife, United Kingdom, London
dec 30

San Francisco: Pier 39's sea lions say bye-bye

The animals began leaving mysteriously a few weeks ago.
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22 by JD Rinne California, San Francisco
dec 30

Airport security: What's next in 2010

Major airports in the U.S. and abroad are likely to replace their all of their metal detectors with whole body scanning machines, to prevent a repeat of the Christmas Day bombing attempt.
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37 by Sean O'Neill Safety and Security
dec 29

New York City: MoMA's new first-Thursday specials

The Museum of Modern Art will stay open late on the first Thursday of every month. It's a great time to rub shoulders with locals.
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0 by Sean O'Neill Museums, New York City
dec 28

Arizona road trips: 5 top questions, answered

Advice on planning a visit to Sedona, Grand Canyon, Navajo country, or other warm-weather destinations.
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10 by Sean O'Neill Arizona, Phoenix
dec 25

Paris Treat Dec. 25: Edible Christmas ornaments

Our Edible Advent Calendar reveals a new treat every morning leading to Christmas.
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15 by Meg Zimbeck Food + Drink, Europe, France, Paris
dec 21

Rome for the holidays

Tips and resources for making the most of your visit, even if it's a last-minute one.
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1 by Kate Appleton Italy, Rome
dec 21

Fliers' rights at last!

Today the Department of Transportation ordered domestic airlines to let passengers stuck inside stranded airplanes to get out after three hours on the tarmac.
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15 by Sean O'Neill Airlines
dec 21

Pirate treasure comes to Norfolk, Va.

See more than 200 artifacts and a life-size replica of a former Pirate ship, which visitors can enter.
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2 by Thomas Berger Museums, Virginia, Norfolk
dec 21

Attention all parents: Help!

Please set aside your philosophies about babies and cell phones and television and guilt and all that good stuff. What iPhone app is best for my baby during a trip?
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8 by Nina Willdorf Questions and Opinions, Travel Gear, Family Travel
dec 20

Edible Advent Calendar: Week 3

Our Edible Advent Calendar reveals a new treat every morning leading to Christmas.
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0 by Meg Zimbeck Food + Drink, Europe, France, Paris
dec 17

Ask Trip Coach: XXXL Vacations

We're talking about epic, sabbatical-type trips, in which you take a serious break from your usual existence and leave home for a month or longer. Send us your questions!
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36 by Brad Tuttle Questions and Opinions
dec 17

Menu for Hope: Battle hunger and boost your next vacation

When you bid to win these foodie experiences around the globe, the proceeds go to support a UN food program.
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0 by Meg Zimbeck Food + Drink, Paris, Rome, San Francisco, New York City
dec 16

Holiday scenes in NYC

See photos of Manhattan in full-blown holiday mode.
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3 by Kate Appleton Shopping, New York City
dec 15

Book a CityPass now for extended validity

CityPass booklets can save you big bucks at aquariums, museums, and other attractions.
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0 by Amy Chen Art + Culture, Museums, Los Angeles, Boston, New York City, Philadelphia, Seattle
dec 15

San Francisco: A list of gifts for foodies

Truffles and tasty salted pig parts.
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2 by JD Rinne Food + Drink, California, San Francisco
dec 15

Are you swapping loyalty points for holiday gift items?

Several hotel companies have recently reported a significant rise in the number of loyalty members redeeming points for things like iPods, pearl earrings, binoculars, and Wii videogame consoles.
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1 by Brad Tuttle Frequent Flier Miles, Hotels
dec 14

Q&A on Baja and Cabo San Lucas

Guidebook author Nikki Goth Itoi answers questions.
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5 by Budget Travel Mexico and Central America, Baja California, Cabo San Lucas
dec 13

Edible Advent Calendar: Week 2

Our Edible Advent Calendar reveals a new treat every morning leading to Christmas.
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2 by Meg Zimbeck Food + Drink, Europe, France, Paris
dec 11

Where are you going in 2010?

Almost every traveler has a short list of great places he or she hopes to visit.
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621 by Budget Travel Questions and Opinions
dec 11

Readers' best food photos

These photos remind us that the most memorable travel experiences often revolve around food. Dig in!
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3 by Kate Appleton Food + Drink
dec 10

Q&A with writer Greg Witt, on going "Off the Tourist Trail"

The writer, editor, and lead contributor of a new book called Off the Tourist Trail: 1,000 Unexpected Travel Alternatives allows us to pick his brain.
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5 by Brad Tuttle Adventure, National Parks, India, Paris, Mexico and Central America, California
dec 09

Cruise line tipping policies revealed

You asked for it, so here's an easy way to find out if a cruise line automatically adds gratuities onto passengers' bills, and if so, by how much.
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32 by Brad Tuttle Cruises
dec 08

100,000 free Megabus tickets

The free tickets are on 28 bus routes in the Midwest and Northeast, including New York City.
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10 by JD Rinne New York City, Local and Public Transportation
dec 07

Where are you from if you were born at 30,000 feet?

Should the baby's certificate list Wyoming, Colorado, or the latitude and longitude as his birthplace?
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1 by Amy Chen Pop Culture and Travel, Airlines, Questions and Opinions
dec 07

Millions of frequent flier miles awarded, courtesy of the U.S. Mint

Through a "coins for miles" scheme that is apparently perfectly legal, several hundred travelers have been snagging free flights and hotels.
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0 by Brad Tuttle Frequent Flier Miles
dec 07

Edible Advent Calendar: Week 1

Our Edible Advent Calendar reveals a new treat every morning leading to Christmas.
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0 by Meg Zimbeck Food + Drink, Europe, France, Paris
dec 04

Baby born during Southwest flight

Southwest Airlines reports that a mother on flight 441 from Chicago to Salt Lake City delivered her baby onboard.
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8 by Sean O'Neill Airlines
dec 04

Should tips be automatically added to cruise passenger bills?

Nearly all big cruise lines automatically add a gratuity onto passengers' bills. Some passengers don't like it one bit.
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137 by Brad Tuttle Cruises, Australia & South Pacific
dec 04

World's largest cruise ship sets sail

The Oasis of the Seas from Royal Caribbean has cabins starting at $1,100.
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7 by Amy Chen Cruises
dec 04

D.C.: Baby panda Tai Shan is leaving town

After four years, he's heading back to China.
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0 by Sean O'Neill Zoos, Washington, D.C.
dec 04

Paris: How to connect with travelers and locals

A review of Enjoy Your Paris, a new website to help locals and visitors.
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3 by Meg Zimbeck Europe, France, Paris, Helpful Websites
dec 04

London: Check your bags at a downtown kiosk

London's Paddington train station has become an international check-in zone for Heathrow airport
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2 by Sean O'Neill United Kingdom, London, Airfares & Flying, Airport Check-in, Innovations
dec 04

'Tis the season to get obsessive about your mileage

What’s the Clooniest thing you've done (or bought) to rack up miles?
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4 by Nina Willdorf Pop Culture and Travel, Frequent Flier Miles, Questions and Opinions
dec 03

Sexy or Sexist? "The Girls of Ryanair" calendar

Flight attendants as you've (probably) never seen them before.
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19 by Sean O'Neill Pop Culture and Travel, Airport Check-in
dec 03

Video: How to Get Broadway Tickets for Less

More than 12 million people attend Broadway shows each year, so tickets can be hard to come by. Follow our advice to get a seat without breaking the bank.
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6 by JD Rinne New York City, Travel Video
dec 03

How to order a beer in 50 languages

Ein Bier, bitte!
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5 by Sean O'Neill Food + Drink
dec 03

Finally, answers to the road-trip question: Where should I eat?

Follow a flow chart's prompts such as "Are you high?", "Are you a ninja?" and "Can you stand Guy Fieri?" to find the restaurant chain that's right for you.
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3 by Brad Tuttle Food + Drink
dec 03

Quiz: What's the easternmost point of the U.S.?

Two possible answers, one in Alaska and another in the Caribbean, depending on your point of view.
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4 by Sean O'Neill United States Virgin Islands, Alaska, Questions and Opinions
dec 03

Frequent flier: Spend $2,000 and get $5,600 worth in flights

Buy $2,000 worth of luggage stickers and you'll get roughly 230,000 frequent flier miles from US Airways.
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4 by Sean O'Neill Airlines, Frequent Flier Miles, Helpful Websites
dec 02

Movie Quest: George Clooney is "Up in the Air"

Learn how to flirt using your frequent flier miles.
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3 by Amy Chen Pop Culture and Travel, Frequent Flier Miles
dec 02

San Francisco: Best bay views

The San Francisco Chronicle's top 10.
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1 by JD Rinne California, San Francisco
dec 02

Paris: Museum strike update

The D'Orsay, the Pompidou Center, and the Louvre are affected.
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3 by Meg Zimbeck Museums, France, Paris
dec 02

New York: JFK runway to close for 4 months

The airport's busiest runway will be shut between March and July.
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1 by Sean O'Neill New York City, Airfares & Flying